Interim Justice Ministry: We Reached Out to Lebanese Officials to Defuse the Crisis in Arsal

The Syrian interim government once again expresses its condolences to the families of Syrians and the Lebanese who lost their lives in the latest events in Lebanon in general and Arsal in particular. The legal office at the interim Ministry of Justice stated that “with the start of the painful events in Arsal, we reached out to a number of Lebanese figures to defuse the crisis in Arsal and ensure the safety of Syrian refugees in Arsal, and also to ensure the entry of Red Cross’s teams to rescue the wounded and deliver the humanitarian aid, as well as to follow up on the subject of Syrians who were detained by the Lebanese authorities during the recent events. We made contacts with Lebanon’s Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi, the Grand Mufti of Bekaa Sheikh Khalil al-Mais and member of Association of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Salem Al-Rafii, who was injured while trying to mediate to settle the crisis in Arsal. The office also has been making regular contacts with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UNHCR in Lebanon, in addition to following up on the issue of unidentified corpses in coordination with the Association of Muslim Scholars. Furthermore, the office’s documentation team documented the damage caused to the refugee camps in Arsal addition to documenting the names of the dead, the wounded and detainees. The legal office of the interim Ministry of Justice reaffirms its readiness to help in any legal issues concerning Syrian refugees in Lebanon. (Source: Syrian Interim Government)